The Unknown Hero
by DCmasterRob
Summary: This is a custom story I came up with about one man who wanted to make a difference and what he ultimately represents. If this story is too heavy handed, my apologies but it is just something I wanted/had to write and I would love advice on how to improve it. This story is also easily applicable to the Marvel universe thus the lack of direct citation of center characters.


Unknown

This is the story of a man. He has a name but that doesn't matter for this story. This man was blessed with an advanced genome at birth that gave him super strength. He grew a normal guy in New York and slowly but surely his powers increased.

Eventually he decided he didn't want to waste his gift and decides to be a superhero like the ones on TV, who are always saving the world. He designs himself a little costume but nothing to professional. It's just made of some padding and normal cloth. The day comes where he decides that will be his first day out since there has been a crime rise due to majority of heroes being off earth due to a universal threat. He packs his costume in his backpack and goes to work with plans to change at the end of his shift and fight his way home.

He gets about halfway through his work day when he hears it. An explosion, louder than anything he has ever heard. He immediately darts to the roof with his backpack in hand. Then he sees it. The tower burns with fire and all he knows is that he needs to be there. He begins to jump from rooftop to rooftop as he haphazardly puts on his costume. He eventually drops his bag with still half of costume inside but that's not what matters now.

He begins to move faster and faster and just as he gets close enough the other tower takes a hit. He just stares in terror. Every part of him wants to turn and run but he can't, his heart won't let him. So he moves forward and jumps into the uncertainty of the ash clouds before him.

He makes his way into the building and he sees that the people at the first floor are nearly all gone so he makes for the stairs. He seems to leap flights in a single bound as he gets as high as he can. He then enters a random floor and begins to grab people ending up with a total of 9 due to his strength and he dives out of the window.

He hits the ground hard and feels a terrible snap as he looks at his now broken leg and he regrettably remembers how his strength doesn't come with invulnerability. He then looks down to see majority of his costume is gone aside from his mask but he doesn't care. He quickly checks on those he saves then he heads back into the fray.

He darts up the stairs again, powering through the pain of his leg even pulling himself up the stairs by the railing with his strength as to save himself from some agony. He then gets to another floor and this time decides to lead as many as he can out so he doesn't damage himself further.

The group just about gets to the door but that's when the ceiling begins to cave and the man has to support it as the others make it to the stairs. Once they are safely at the stairwell the man lets the ceiling collapse and climbs to the next floor and that's when someone screams that it's falling. The man is confused by this at first but then looks up to see as the walls begin to crack and fall as the tower seems to be tearing in half and heading toward its twin.

The man can't let this happen and grabs the walls and pushes with all his might. He is scared. No, he is terrified and definitely doesn't want to die like this but he knows everyone else in these buildings feels the same way so the only solution is to save everyone.

So he pushes and pushes and pushes and pushes even more until he can't even feel his arms anymore. Tears are running down his face as he just tries to do what he can, hoping that the real heroes will show up any moment...but they don't. Eventually something unexpectedly explodes and the ground beneath him crumbles. The man falls and as he falls, his mask tears away leaving him as just an average man like any other. He closes his eyes as he heads towards the ground at an intense speed. Tears roll down his eyes as he says a little prayer. Then in a tiny moment just before he hits the ground he smiles for he knows that he saved people and did what he knew was right. He then hits the ground and the tower crumbles atop him.

He is never found, he is barely remembered for most those he saved were so in shock they thought he was just a better known hero. He didn't really have many friends and his parents had long since passed away so he didn't really have anyone to know of his loss. His coworkers didn't even try to investigate much for they just counted his storming off as him quitting in a way. Overall his death went unnoticed. That being said his sacrifice wasn't in vein. In all honesty it matched how he was in life: a good person. He didn't have a tragic backstory nor a crazy life by any stand point but rather just decided to be a hero out of the good of his heart.

He was a good man who made an even better superhero if only for a few moments. Was he scared? Yes of course. Did he let that stop him? No and thanks to his efforts he was not only able to save those he directly got out of the tower but also remarkably held the tower up for five whole minutes which allowed for even more people to get to safety.

This man was a hero, an unknown hero whose actions though unknown will always be appreciated eve if they are not remembered.

The End

This story is dedicated to the unsung heroes lost in 9/11


End file.
